Today, October 2, 2023 at the Daughters of Jesus, in Rimouski, Canada, we are invited to reflect together on the project we want to live out this year: “Our public commitment to integral ecology”: Taking Care .

Sister Micheline Cormier, Regional Superior, along with sisters Lucienne Lepage, Ursule Beaulieu and Pierrette Côté, guide us through this process.  Sister Micheline invites us to listen to a text by Brother Mario Houle (fic) presented in a slide show entitled: “The tree… has become a witness to hope”.

We are fascinated by the author’s words and the images that accompany the text; they question us and invite us to reflect. After viewing the slide show, Ursule asks us to express what touches and resonates within us in this text.

We clearly recognize that our theme for the year is ecology. We are an integral part of the world in which we live. Ecology is built on 2 words, says the author:

“Taking care”.

Of whom, of what? For whom? For what? Where, when, how? A series of questions arose. We realize first and foremost that we need to take care

. of ourselves – i.e. of our soul, our deepest interiority,

. of the best of ourselves in our day to day living — which implies sharing”.

The tree

The symbol of the tree illuminated by sunlight and that of the vine remind us that God is their creator. He is the vinedresser who prunes his vine. His great desire is for it to bear fruit.

He removes the old and broken branches. He withdraws all that hinders and prevents the light from penetrating to the heart of his vine in order to nourish it.

God is the vinedresser

That is what God wants for us too. He is our vinedresser. He works at the core of our lives. He needs us. We need to look within ourselves to let go of what is harmful and prevents the light of God’s Word from penetrating our hearts. God wants us to be “Life-bearers” so that his light may shine forth around us and into our world.

Let us allow ourselves to be pruned

Let us act with courage and perseverance and go deeper within ourselves in order to nourish our roots at the wellspring of our being. Let us allow ourselves to be pruned: whatever our age, we all have a mission to live out together, whether through prayer or action according to our abilities. All our little gestures are important.

The outlook we bear on our world today inspires us to admire this God who lives and acts in our midst.

“Let us keep our hearts filled with hope and faith in Him,

 as He molds us according to His will.

Let us remain “in trust”, let us act.”

Jeannine D’Amours fj,

Rimouski, Canada